Separating device for can caps or the like



til 19 1927. AP N. LOESEL SEPARATING DEVICE FOR CAN CAPS UR THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v t h ip Filed May 15, 1925 NTOR lNV m BY! W M; ATTORNEY 1,625,262 April 19, 1927. N. LOEYSEL SEPARATING DEVICE FOR CAN CAPS OR THE LIKE Filed May 1 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES ATNT MQE.

NICHOLAS LOESEL, OF RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORFORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SEPARATING DEVICE FOR CAN CAPS OR THE LIKE.

Application filed May 13, 1925. Serial No. 29,945.

My invention relates to feeding mecha nism for can covers or caps and has for its main object the provision of an apparatus for separating caps or covers of the straight flange type, which have a tendency to nest together and in the past have been found diflicult to separate and properly feed in automatic machinery. Gaps or covers of this character not only have a tendency to nest together, but assume very irregular arrangement, the flanges on one side of ad jacent caps being as likely to be in close contact as those on the other and when in such contact being very hard to separate to remove an individual cap from the stack. This difficulty is aggravated when the caps are of very small diameter, such as those shown on the drawings, which are adapted for use upon olive oil containers and are approximately one inch in diameter.

The apparatus provided by the present invention is constructed and operates in manner to overcome these diiflculties, as will hereinafter appear.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a pre ferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, partially in section and partially in elevation of an apparatus in which my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the arcuate passage through which the caps are directed to separate them in the fan-like arrangement shown; and

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the apparatus. illustrating the passageway for the caps and the separator slides and actuating mechanism therefor.

On said drawings, illustrating the best manner in which I have thus far contemplated applying the principles of my invention, the reference character 11 indicates a frame, in which is journaled a drive shaft 12, carrying a crank disk 13, connected by means of a link 14; and an arm 15 with a rock shaft 16 also journaled in the frame 11. Said link 1 is formed of yieldingly connected parts comprising a rod 17 and a sleeve 18 into which said rod extends, the latter having thereon a spring 19, com ressililebetween a disk 21 on one end it ereof and a washer 22 near the opposite .end. Said rod is connected by a part 23 with said arm 15 and is adapted to be rocked by the mechanism just described, in manner which will be obvious, the power being supplied to the shaft 12 from any suitable source (not shown).

A segmental gear 24 is carried on the shaft 16 and meshes with a rack 25, rigid with a slidable member 26 disposed in a guideway 27 in a front part 28 of the frame to which guide plates 29 are secured by means of screws 31. The rack 25 is secured to said slidable member 26 by means of screws 32 and moves in a slot 33 provided in said front part 28 of the frame. The upper part of said frame is formed to provide an arcuate passage 34 at the base of a stack holder consisting of a plurality of rods 35 screwed into a top plate 36. As the caps descend through the stack holder 35, they are likely to be arranged in the irregular manner referred to above, which is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. With the flanges arranged in the nested relationship shown, the laterally operating separating devices ordinarily used to separate can covers and the like from a stack or supply chute are not satisfactory, sincethey do not always enter between the flanges of adjacent covers and more than one, therefore, may be fed at one time, or the action of said devices may be obstructed by a solid line of nested flanges. By means of the arcuate passage 34, covers are conducted from their horizontal position in the vertical chute 35 to vertical position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, being separated during this movement and disposed in fan-like formation so that they may be individually separated by beveled cut-out fingers 37 provided on said slidable member 26 near the top thereof. These fingers are arranged to engage the opposite sides of said flanges and as they'rise between adjacent covers, the outermost cover is entirely freed from the stack and permitted to fall through a vertical chute provided by the guide plates 29, from which they are delivered into any suitable mechanism, such, for example, as a cap and can assembling mechanism, or soldering machine.

The caps are indicated by the reference character 33 and the straight flanges thereof by the character 39, the latter being re ained ticles, comprising a stack holder, an arcuate passage at the bottom of said stack holder for arranging the articles in a formation in which the edges thereof are more widely separated than in the stack to facilitate individual feeding said passage being open to allow the articles to move to substantially vertical position, a reciprocating cut-out member adapted to enter between the outermost article and the remainder, a rack member rigid with said reciprocating member, a rock shaft, a gear on said rock shaft meshing with said rack, and means for operating said shaft.

10. Apparatus for separating adjacent articles, comprising a stack holder, an arcuate passage at the bottom of said stack holder for arranging the articles in a formation in Which the edges thereof are more Widely separated than in the stack to facilitate individual feeding, a reciprocating cut-out member adapted to enter between the outermost article and the remainder, a rack member rigid with said reciprocating member, a

rock shaft, a gear on said rock shaft meshing with said rack, and means including a yieldable connection for operating sald shaft.

NICHOLAS LOESEL. 

